Colony and population genetic structure in the eastern subterranean termite was investigated from the mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions of North Carolina using two classes of molecular genetic markers: microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA sequence. The results show that about half the colonies are simple families headed by a single pair of outbred reproductives. The other half of the colonies consist of inbred families headed by only a few highly related secondary reproductives inbred for a few generations. Results also show genetic differentiation among populations at both small and large spatial scales.
Species 1: Isoptera Rhinotermitidae Reticulitermes flavipes (eastern subterranean termite)
Keywords: microsatellites, mitochondrial DNA
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA